Anze Kopitar was born August 24, 1987 in Jesenice, Slovenia. Selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the first-round, 11th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Kopitar is the first Slovenian-born player in the NHL.

A sizeable centreman with incredible hands, Kopitar honed his skills in Slovenias pro league and the Swedish Elite and Junior Leagues before joining the Kings in 2006-07. In his first professional season in North America, Kopitar lit the lamp 20 times and finished third in the league rookie goal scorers with 61 points.

In the ensuing seasons Kopitar would emerge as one of the NHL's most consistent scorers. He followed up his successful rookie campaign with seasons of 77, 66 and 81 points respectively.

In 2011-12, Kopitar would again post impressive offensive numbers (25 goals and 51 assists) in the regular season, but it was in the NHL playoffs where the Slovenian's season went from good to spectacular. Kopitar and his Kings teammates stormed through the Western Conference playoffs, losing only twice along the way and went on beat out to the New Jersey Devils to win the first Stanley Cup in Los Angeles franchise history. Along the way Kopitar posted 20 points in 20 playoff games.

During the 2013-14 season, the Kings once again made it to the Stanley Cup Final where they would defeat the New York Rangers in five games. The win gave Kopitar and the Kings their second Stanley Cup in three years.

Kopitar finished the 2015-16 season with 74 points, setting a franchise record by leading the Kings in scoring for a ninth consecutive season. He also showed he was just as dominant in the defensive end. He led all forwards in total ice time, including more the two minutes per game shorthanded, and his +34 rating was second best in the NHL. For his efforts, Kopitar, was awarded the Selke Trophy as NHL's best defensive forward. Kopitar would also record just 16 minutes in penalties during 2015-16 season. His high level of play, combined with gentlemanly conduct earned him the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for the first time in his career.

On June 16, 2016, Kopitar was named the captain of the Kings. He would struggle to find his offensive game during his first season wearing the "C" however. In 76 games he scored just 12 times and added 40 assists.

On December 5, 2017, Kopitar recorded career assist number 500. The point came on Marian Gaborik's 400th career goal in a 5-2 Kings victory over the Minnesota Wild.

Following the 2017-18 season, Kopitar was awarded the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward for the second time in his career. The centre led all forwards in total time on ice and helped lead the Kings to league-best defensive season (allowing 2.46 goals per game). Kopitar took 37% of the Kings' face-offs and set a new career-high with a 54.1 winning percentage.